Election odds for Trump and Clinton

As election day 2016 nears, the money being wagered on Donald Trump is on the rise, according to a United Kingdom betting firm, while the odds of Hillary Clinton becoming president are getting longer, though she’s still a strong favorite.

The odds on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the British bookmaker William Hill had Clinton at 4-to-11, meaning a $110 bet would earn $40 if she’s elected, and Trump was at 2-to-1 — wager $100 to win $200. Just a couple of weeks ago, Clinton was at 1-to-9.

But after news about the FBI reopening the probe into her (and her advisers’) emails, Clinton’s “odds of winning the U.S. election have lengthened dramatically, and betting support for her has virtually dried up,” said William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe.

He noted that a single bettor, the owner of a Cornish castle, who began putting money on Trump when he was a long shot to win the Republican nomination, stands to win $122,310 on the Republican candidate.

“Trump’s odds had been edging downwards since last week, but the FBI news accelerated the process,” Sharpe said via email. “No one will currently risk backing Clinton, despite odds which even a week ago would have caused a stampede to get on!”

This week, two first-time William Hill customers placed bets of $8,562 and $4,892 on Trump, Sharpe said, believing the email investigation will tilt the election.

About 55 percent of individual bets taken since the weekend have been for Trump, Sharpe said, and 79 percent of all money staked since then has been for him. “Overall, since betting began, some 70 percent of all the money staked has been for Clinton, with two-thirds of individual bets for Trump.” In other words, more small bets on Trump; fewer bets — but bigger ones — on Clinton.

Bettors in the U.S. can’t access William Hill’s site, but many have bet on sites such as Bovada where the odds on Clinton early this week were 1-to-3 and Trump was at 2-to-1.

“In previous elections, we wouldn’t expect to see much line movement this late outside of a final debate bump for either candidate,” said Bovada’s top political oddsmaker Pat Morrow. “Of course, this hasn’t been a typical election cycle.”

When news broke about FBI Director James Comey’s letter to Congress, “we quickly suspended wagering (while) we tried to sort out all the implications of a renewed investigation,” Morrow said.

“The line has held at those numbers (1-to-3 for Clinton; 2-to-1 for Trump), but whether it’s the FBI investigation, another WikiLeaks dump or the next Trump gaffe, we assume there will be much more line movement before election day.”